The Rock n’ Roll Lifestyle: The Holy Grail Of Living Without Boundaries

The typical rock n’ roll lifestyle comprises late nights, non-existent mornings, lazy afternoons, hangovers, excessive alcohol intake, &c. &c., all with a soundtrack built up of guitars, amplifiers, drums and lots and lots of noise. A lifestyle of such freedom is the “I would if I could” choice of so many people stuck in repetitive jobs with go-nowhere possibilities. Such a lifestyle is incompatible with Western living, but only just.

As the name suggests, the concept comes from the star of rock music. But it wasn’t always an integral part. A process of liberalisation since the 1950’s has made it a greater possibility for many people. With the popularity of such artists as Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley to name but two, there were new ideas about life and how to enjoy yourself. Ideas that appealed to a younger generation, which was to be infatuated by the likes of Steve McQueen as well. The conservative West and the Establishment were… conservative to say the least. ‘The Devil’s music’ as it was branded by many, had arrived, and they didn’t like it. Teenagers were beginning to think for themselves, and they didn’t like it. Rebellion was in the air, and they didn’t like it. But a full-blown life, styled around the music, was still a decade away.

As bands like Led Zeppelin, The Who and Thin Lizzy arrived in the mainstream, rock music was well set. But the artists become known for their shanagans before, after, and during tours and not just their music. The reporting of Pete Townsend’s (apparent) distain for hotel rooms was, and still is, well documented. The baby boomers loved it. They loved it so much they aspired to such recklessness themselves. And who can blame them. A life free from parents, ‘real’ work, responsibilities, family ties of any nature, and freedom from anything of great importance was, and still is, mouth-watering. In the US, the hippies had a similar philosophy. The Vietnam War gave them something just to rebel against.

Since then, the music scene has changed amongst teenagers. A broader view of the music sphere is evident. But there’s still a lust for the rock n’ roll lifestyle.

My favourite band of all time is Guns n’ Roses. They lived the rock n’ roll lifestyle to the full. And survived. Just. The opening song from the first EP Live ?!*@ Like A Suicide is called Reckless Life. They wrote about what they knew, and that sums up what they knew. “Livin’ with the danger/ I’m always on the edge now”. They were effectively homeless, but as Slash has since explained, hookers and strippers were good people to know in LA back then. They were put in a similar place by society, so they would often crash at their places. Guns n Roses were a group of five skilled musicians. Their musical ability carried them through the rock n’ roll lifestyle, and they were able to make a success out of it. Live ?!*@ Like A Suicide is full of explicit references to living the rock n’ roll lifestyle. They encourage it in track three Move to the City: “Ya pack your bags and you move to the city/ There’s something missing here at home/ You fix your hair and you look real pretty/ It’s time to get out on your own… Ya stole your Momma’s car and your Daddy’s plastic credit card/ You’re sixteen and you can’t get a job/ You’re not going very far…” They tell you what it’s like in track four, a cover of Aerosmith’s Mama Kin: “It ain’t easy/ Livin’ like a gypsy/ Tell ya honey how it feels/ I’ve been dreaming/ Floating down screaming/ Loosing touch with all that’s real… It ain’t easy/ Livin’ like you wanna/ And so hard to find piece of mind (yes it is)… You better check it out/ Or sometime soon you’re gonna climb back on the wagon… Livin’ out your fantasy/ Sleeping late and smoking tea…”



As strange as it sounds, skill is very important to the rock n’ roll lifestyle. The Rolling Stones are still going strong in 2007, after 40 years of making music. They have seen many great bands come and go. Bands who let the lifestyle get the better of them. Musicians who lost their lives in the mayhem. Something the remaining Stones know all about. They were skilled. Without skill, homelessness and utter loss beckons. At least, that’s how it used to be.

Today, there’s a new, more accessible spin-off to the rock n’ roll lifestyle: university. It is something of a paradox that an institution of great minds can make something so frowned upon by society so accessible. In Britain, there are more people going to university than ever before. For many, they are living free from parental control for the first time. They don’t need to worry too much about employment. The student loan does the business for many. Failing that, there’s the overdraft. Failing that, there’s breaking the law and opening another student account, as I think a few people I know have done.

Ultimately, though, the rock n’ roll lifestyle is not entirely sustainable for undergraduates. Fail to get any work done and they’re finished. By the time they are thrown out, they are addicted to the lifestyle of freedom and can’t go back to living with parents. They are thrown into the rock n’ roll lifestyle proper, and cannot support themselves as they crash at a mates places or with friends who have avoided the cut from higher education. Failure to realise the damage that can be caused by living the rock n’ roll lifestyle while at university is a real problem. But this generation will sort it out. Yesterday’s generation should not worry.

Yours, wherever you may be,
Daniel C. Wright